Mock deaths make students feel pain of drunken driving

April 27, 2011

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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About 1,000 juniors and seniors from San Juan Hills High School, as well as dozens of parents, gathered in the gym Tuesday for an assembly meant to educate students about the perils of drunken driving. Some students who had simulated dying read goodbye letters they wrote to their families. FARZAD MASHHOOD, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Connor O'Modhrain, a San Juan Hills High School senior who "died" in the school's "Every 15 Minutes" simulation, reads a letter to his parents at a school assembly Tuesday. “This was the most moving experience I have ever been through,” he said. FARZAD MASHHOOD, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Jason Barber talks during the "Every 15 Minutes" assembly at San Juan Hills High School. Barber spoke of how he caused the death of his 15-year-old brother in a drunken-driving accident. Barber speaks at high schools about the dangers of drunken driving. FARZAD MASHHOOD, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

About 1,000 juniors and seniors from San Juan Hills High School, as well as dozens of parents, gathered in the gym Tuesday for an assembly meant to educate students about the perils of drunken driving. Some students who had simulated dying read goodbye letters they wrote to their families. FARZAD MASHHOOD, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – In a tear-filled assembly Tuesday, students and parents simulated the experience of losing a loved one in a drunken-driving accident.

Twenty-four juniors and seniors from San Juan Hills High School were pulled from their classes Monday to demonstrate to the school what it would be like for classmates to be killed by a drunken driver.

Every 15 minutes, a man dressed as the Grim Reaper took a student from his or her class and a California Highway Patrol officer read an obituary written by the student's parents. The process reflected the statistic that every 15 minutes, someone dies as a result of an alcohol-related collision.

The students were taken to an overnight retreat and were out of contact with the outside world.

The rest of the juniors and seniors watched a mock accident scene in front of the school at lunchtime. The scene was intended to simulate a high school student drinking before the prom and crashing into and killing a fellow student, according to activities director Brooke Valderrama.

For one family, the experience was all too familiar.

Michelle Almanza, a junior at San Juan Hills, "died" in the mock accident. Fifteen years ago, her older brother almost experienced the real thing. A drunken driver hit her brother, then 5 years old, and put him in a coma for a week, said Michelle's father, Miguel Almanza. He said the simulation made him relive the experience of his son's accident.

As part of the simulation, Michelle Almanza was taken to an emergency room and later joined the 23 other students at the retreat. There, they wrote goodbye letters to their families, saying what they would want to say if they knew they were going to die.

Students were reunited with their parents at Tuesday's assembly, where about 1,000 juniors and seniors listened to Jason Barber talk about causing the death of his younger brother while driving drunk. Barber talked of the importance of making good choices and urged the students to stand up against drunken driving.

Valderrama said juniors and seniors were chosen for the program because they are more mature and can handle the seriousness of the topic.

According to Mike Hamilton, who has portrayed the Grim Reaper in "Every 15 Minutes" programs for 12 years, students have mixed responses to watching their classmates be taken out of class. Some are very stoic; others giggle.

But at Tuesday's assembly, the giggles were gone and the gym was silent, with the audience focusing on the speakers.

Connor O'Modhrain, a senior who was one of the 24 on the retreat, cried while reading a goodbye letter he wrote to his family. "This was the most moving experience I have ever been through," he said.

For Joshua Ortiz, a senior who also went on the retreat, the setting brought the group close in a way that going to school never had. Writing the goodbye letter to his parents taught him to appreciate what he has, he said.

San Juan Hills was one of two high schools in Orange County to host the two-day program, which gives students and families a chance to experience the separation of being without loved ones, said CHP officer Chris Goodwin.

The two-day program comes with a grant from the state, Goodwin added. Valderrama said San Juan Hills received $10,000. Some costs, such as food and a substitute teacher to fill in for one who attended the retreat, were not covered.

At a Feb. 15 meeting, the City Council approved giving $1,500 to help pay the extra costs. Dissenters on the council said paying for the program was not a good use of the city's shrinking funds.

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